


An Unexpected Guest. Surprise at the Japanese Nationals!

by Hypatia3



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Anxiety, Competition, M/M, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Victor has no idea how relationships work, Yuuri does not understad what is happening
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-09 15:47:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8897908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hypatia3/pseuds/Hypatia3
Summary: After his disastrous showing at the Grad Prix Final a few weeks ago, Katsuki Yuuri wants to get through the Japanese National Competitions without embarrassing his country even more than he already has. 
Victor has never been in a real relationship before, but since he fell in love he wants to go all out. He just wants to be a supportive boyfriend and cheer Yuuri on (and maybe go on a date while they are both in the same country).
Yuuri just wants to know what is going on and why Russian Figure Skating Legend Victor Nikiforov seems to be convinced that they are dating.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am playing fast and loose with the timelines here. Normally the Russian and Japanese Nationals overlap. This is AU in that here, they don't.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yuuri has an unexpected runin with his idol.

Katsuki Yuuri didn’t think that he could do this.

  
Coach Celestino patted him on the back. “There’s nothing like preforming at home to get your head back in the game. You are on a whole other level from these other skaters. Medaling here will get you back on track.” He paused, “Are you ok, Yuuri?”

  
“I’m alright.” Yuuri gave his coach a smile. He desperately wanted his coach to leave him alone. He could feel his smile start to shake, so widened it forcefully. There was no way that he was going to give the other competitors more ammunition against him.

  
Celestino gave him a sideways look, but didn’t challenge his statement. “It’s over an hour until the short programs begin. I don’t think you should stay here and wait. You’ll get caught up in your head again. Go take a walk around the building. Warm up. Make sure that you are back in time for the placement drawings.”

  
Yuuri nodded, got up, and walked away from his coach. As he was leaving the gate area, he passed some of the earlier spectators as they were arriving. He though he heard one of them mention his name, but he averted his head, hunched his shoulders to avoid eye contact and hurried by.

  
There was no way that he could do this. It had only been two weeks since his absolutely disastrous performance at the Grand Prix Finals. Surely everyone saw then what a failure he was? He had finished over one hundred points below the medalists. It was an epic crash and burn. He had shown everyone how absolutely terrible he had been, how ridiculous it was that he was representing his country.

  
Despite what Celestino seemed to think, Yuuri already knew that the Japanese Nationals were not going to go well for him. Hadn’t he already proven to his coach that he was unreliable, a terrible skater who had only gotten as far as he had because of flukes? What more would he have to do before his coach would stop expecting things from him, things that Yuuri had proven he was not capable of?

  
The other skaters here just made it worse. Every single one of them was another skater who should have had his position in the Grand Prix series. Surely every single one of them knew that they would have done so much better if they had had the chance that he had. If they had been in the tournament, they would have medaled, or at least wouldn’t have embarrassed Japan with scores as bad as his had been.

  
It felt like everyone in the entirety of Japan, whether they followed figure skating or not, knew that he had let them down on the international stage. He couldn’t stand to look anyone in the eyes, especially not other figure skaters.

  
Celestino had asked if he had wanted to stop in at Hasetsu after the competition. Yuuri had told him that they didn’t need to go to the trouble, after all it was so far out of the way. Celestino had agreed, and Yuuri hoped that he hadn’t figured out the real reason that Yuuri didn’t want to go within fifty miles of his hometown. It was bad enough to look at total strangers and know that they knew all about his failures. He didn’t think he could take that level of disappointment from his friends and family, people who supported him and cheered him on for so long, only to realize at the end that he wasn’t worth it.

  
He took a deep breath, in and out, trying to calm himself. He could feel a panic attack coming on, and this was terrible timing for it. So much for keeping out of his head.

  
He was passing more people now, as it was getting much closer to the beginning of the competition. He could hear the rink getting louder as it filled up, a babble of voices that made no sense, no matter how he tried to focus.

  
He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Let it out slowly, then took another.

  
The voice of a passerby broke his reverie, “Was that Victor Nikiforov? What is he doing here?”

  
Wait, what? He must have misheard. Yuuri ran that sentence through his mind again. It just didn’t make sense. What would Victor Nikiforov, Russian figure skating legend, be doing at the Japanese National Championship?

  
But no, more people were talking about it. Another spectator looked like she was going to swoon into the arms of her friends, babbling about the fact that Victor Nikiforov had spoken to her. A man was blustering that it had to be a cosplay.

  
Yuuri turned, and pushed through the crowd towards the lobby. The thought that his inspiration could be here pushed him off balance. Surely it was a mistake, the Russian Nationals were only a few days from now. There was no reason for Nikiforov to take even a few days off before the competition. And even if he did, why would he be at the Japanese Nationals? To size up the competition? As if anyone here was competition for Victor Nikiforov.

  
But what if he was there? It was terrifying enough to know that he was going to fail in front of all of Japan, but add in Victor and the pressure just skyrocketed.

  
He had to see for himself that this was just a mistake. He would ask the receptionists if Victor Nikiforov was really there, and when they laughed at him for the strange idea he would walk away in shame, wondering what he had been thinking.

  
Except it wasn’t a mistake.

  
He skidded to a stop in the main room, because there was Victor Nikiforov. He was mistakable, browsing the wares of one of the hawkers like he was a normal spectator and not a figure skating god.

  
Yuuri was so focused on him that it seemed like there was no one else in the crowded room but the two of them. He was strongly reminded of the last time they had met (if that was the right term for their very brief interaction) and it seemed that at any second Victor would turn, see him, and offer another damn photo. Or something worse. But he couldn’t bring himself to move as his brain worked to process this unexpected encounter.

  
Victor began to turn away from the hawker, a bag in his hand. Yuuri fought to move, so that he wouldn’t be caught staring at him again (not that everyone else in the room wasn’t staring). Victor was looking straight at him.

  
“Yuuri!” Victor Nikiforov waved his free hand over his head, a beaming smile on his face as he hurried over towards Yuuri.

  
Wait, what?

  
“I didn’t think I would catch you before the short programs began. I tried to get an earlier flight, but you know how it is around this time of year. But I made it in the end after all!” _Victor Nikiforov_ said. He had an enormous giddy grin on his face and nothing he was saying made any sense.

  
“What are you doing here?” was the only thing that Yuuri managed to make out.

  
“I wanted to support you, obviously.” Victor glanced at the clock on the wall. “Isn’t it getting close to the start? You should head back to the rink.”

  
Victor grabbed his hand and started towing him back towards the rink, still talking all the while.

  
“So these are the Japanese Nationals? I’ve never been before, normally the Russian Nationals are at the same time.” Yuuri could feel the eyes of everyone one in crowd on him. Some people were even taking pictures. Victor didn’t even seem to notice. Yuuri didn’t know what was happening.

  
Victor Nikiforov was holding his hand. Obviously this was a very vivid dream.

  
“No, what are you doing here? The Russian Nationals are in like three days!” Yuuri protested, trying to find some shred of rationality in the situation.

  
“Yes, but the men’s short program isn’t until the second day, so I have time. Yakov will be angry of course, but I’m experienced enough to get myself ready.”

  
Yuuri pulled his hand free, with an inner pang of regret. Still, making sense of this madness was more important that holding even Victor’s hand.

  
“But why are you here!?” Yuuri asked again, hoping to get an answer that actually made sense this time.

  
“To cheer you on, of course.” They had stopped halfway down the stairs, right in the middle of traffic. Still, everyone seemed to be giving them, or rather Russian figure skating legend Victor Nikiforov space.

  
Victor reached into the bag to pull out a banner.

  
“Look what I bought! I didn’t have time to make one, but this should work, right?” He held up a Katsuki Yuuri banner, smiling ear to ear.

  
Yuuri just looked at him. The image just didn’t make any sense. It continued for a beat, then two, while Yuuri tried to marshal his thoughts.

  
“W-why?” he barely managed to get the word out, and it wasn’t a coherent question.

  
Victor stuffed the banner back into the bag. “Well, Giorgi says that this kind of support is important in relationships.”

  
That answer made no sense. He was about to ask what relationship Victor thought they had, seeing as their only interaction to date was a photo opportunity, when they were interrupted.

  
“Ah, Yuuri, I was just looking for you. The drawing will be in a fifteen minutes. You really need to head back…” Coach Celestino trailed off as he realized who exactly Yuuri was talking to.

  
“Celestino, right?” Victor turned sideways and waved to the person coming up the stadium steps behind him. “It was my fault entirely. I just wanted to wish him luck before the short programs began.”

  
“I didn’t realize that you were going to be attending. Shouldn’t you be in Russia preparing for your own Nationals.” Yuuri wasn’t sure how Celestino was managing to have a conversation with Victor, because the Russian still wasn’t making any sense.

  
“I was free and wanted to offer my support.” Victor smiled again, stepping back towards Yuuri. Yuuri was struck by how different he was in person from how he came off in interviews. That Victor was calm and serene, with quiet confident smiles, not these ear to ear grins.

  
“Oh, I had better go, you need to get ready to start. I will see you after your short program, alright.” Victor was standing very close to him, his hands warm on Yuuri’s shoulders. Yuuri was pretty sure that his brain had stopped working. It was all he could do to keep breathing.

  
“Good luck!” Victor hugged him tightly, then let go. He headed up into the stands backwards, waving again.

  
Yuuri stood still, feeling very shell-shocked. Did Victor Nikiforov just hug him? A glance at Celestino showed that his coach’s jaw had dropped, so it wasn’t a hallucination.

  
What just happened?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yuuri and Victor talk about skating.

Yuuri began to stretch in a daze. He couldn’t help watching Victor leave until he got swallowed by the crowds in the stands.

  
Celestino stood nearby with a frown on his face. “I didn’t realize that you were so close to Victor Nikiforov.”

  
“I’m not,” Yuuri said. “We’ve never even talked.” He could never work up the nerve to approach him.

  
“That’s not what it looked like.” Celestino looked troubled. “Is he trying to play mind games with you?”

  
“No! Definitely not, Victor would never do that.” Yuuri snapped. Celestino stepped back, surprised by his vehemence. Yuuri took a deep breath, then continued more calmly, “Victor has an excellent reputation as an honorable and supportive athlete.”

  
“He also has a reputation for being distant. That did not look distant,” Celestino pointed out.

  
“He’s not like that.” Yuuri protested, looking away. “I have to go to the placement drawing.” He hurried away, unwilling to continue this conversation.

  
He left Celestino to stand by the other skaters as they drew lots for the skating order. As he waited, he couldn’t help scanning the crowd for some sign of Victor. He didn’t see him…there! There was his unmistakable silver hair near gate E. That must be him.

  
The distant person with silver hair waved at him.

  
The skater next to him nudged him. “They called your name already.”

  
Yuuri took his eyes off Victor, startled. All the other skaters were staring at him. The organizer impatiently tapped her fingers against her wrist. Yuuri hurried over, his face burning with embarrassment. He took a number from the bag, showed it to the organizer to mark down, then went back over to Celestino, feeling like everyone’s eyes were on him as he beat a retreat.

  
Thankfully, Celestino didn’t continue their previous conversation. Instead he motioned towards Yuuri’s number and asked, “What place did you draw?”

  
Yuuri finally looked down at the number. “Fourth.”

  
Well at least he wasn’t skating first again. Although, fourth out of thirty-two wasn’t much better. Not to mention, fourth was unlucky…

  
Celestino frowned. “Still very early in the order. You’ll need to have a strong lead to stay ahead. Although you are on an entirely different level from most of these other skaters, so that shouldn’t be a problem.” He continued, “You had better get ready. You will be in the first group to warm up.”

  
Yuuri nodded and sat down to put on his skates. He couldn’t help glancing up to look at Victor. Now that he was closer, Yuuri could tell that it was definitely him. But why was he here?

  
He continued that thought while he went on to the ice for warm ups. What possible reason could Victor Nikiforov, ice skater extraordinaire, have for attending the Japanese Nationals?

  
He skated across the ice aimlessly, gazing blindly into the blur that was the section of the audience Victor was sitting in. He had no idea what the Russian skater was thinking.

  
It definitely wasn’t sabotage, no matter what Celestino might think. Victor wasn’t that sort of competitor. He had never been anything but supportive of his fellow skaters. Even if his offer of a photo wasn’t the most supportive act…

  
He transitioned into a spin. Even so, he would be the last person Victor would want to sabotage. He was barely even a competitor. His score in the Grand Prix was rock bottom. If Victor was going to play mind games with anyone, it would be with Chris Giacometti, who consistently won silver right behind Victor. He wouldn’t have anything to do with a dime-a-dozen skater like Yuuri.

  
To size up the competition? As if, Yuuri thought as he put a hand down after his quadruple salchow. He certainly wasn’t in Victor Nikiforov’s league. He had never even managed that jump, one of the easier quads, clean in a competition. He supposed he might be here to see one of the other competitors. No, Yuuri thought, if he doesn't see me, who has actually skated in competition with him, as a rival, he has absolutely no reason to see anyone else as one.

  
No matter how he thought about it, it just didn’t make sense. As he moved into some of the footwork from his step sequence, Yuuri couldn’t help but think about what Victor himself had said. He wanted to support Yuuri? Why? What possible reason could Victor Nikiforov have to take any time out of his life to support a second rate skater like Yuuri? There must be more to it. But Yuuri couldn’t figure out what.

  
Celestino handed him his skate guards and glasses as he came off the ice. Yuuri immediately put them on and turned to where he had seen Victor’s silver hair before the warmups.

  
Nothing was there.

  
Yuuri leadenly walked over to the bench to put his skate guards on, unsure as to why he was so disappointed. There was no reason for Victor to even be here, so why was the thought that he might have left or stepped away or realized that he shouldn’t waste his time here and went back to Russia—

  
“Go Yuuri!” His thoughts were interrupted by Victor yelling his name from above. He looked up to see Victor right above his section of the skater’s area, leaning on the railing.

  
“I thought you were over there,”Yuuri said blankly.

  
“I was, yes. But I convinced this nice older lady to switch seats so that I could be closer to you. I think she was a big fan of yours.” Victor was grinning at him again. Celestino looked up at Victor, then at Yuuri. He raised his eyebrows and Yuuri could almost hear him say _distant_? Yuuri shot him a quick glare. Celestino raised his hands and pointedly went to stand by the rink, looking at the ice.

  
“So you are skating fourth then?” Victor drew Yuuri’s attention back towards him. “I’m looking forward to seeing it.”

  
Yuuri blinked. Behind him, the first skater took to the ice. His music, a very romantic waltz, filled the air. Victor looked at him expectantly, but Yuuri had no idea what to say.

  
“So, what is the subject of you short program?” Victor finally asked, changing the subject before it got too awkward.

  
This was a question that Yuuri could answer. He had been asked it many times before, by reporters or fellow skaters. “It’s on longing.”

  
“Yes, but what kind? It seems so different when you skated it in the Final from the times before. At the Final it was so sad,” Victor flourished his hand while making his point, “like a longing for unrequited love. But when you skated it at the NHK it was glorious, like receiving something that you’ve worked for and wanted for so long.”

  
Glorious? “You weren’t at the NHK Trophy. How could you possibly have an opinion on how I skated?” Yuuri asked in shock. He could feel his heart beating quicker at having Victor complement his skating at all, much less so kindly.

  
“I know! It’s so weird that we were never in the same qualifiers. No, I had to look them up online.”

  
“You looked up my videos online?” Yuuri felt like he kept parroting back what Victor was saying, but he just couldn’t process the words.

  
“Yes, of course!” Victor smiled at him. “I saw the one at Skate America too, but that one was a little shaky. Of course it was the first competition of the season, so it’s only to be expected.”

  
A little shaky, Yuuri thought. He remembered that program. He hadn’t been terrible, and he had won bronze in the end, so the judges must have taken pity on him. Still he had fallen on his quad salchow and didn’t really manage to recover. He knew even then that he could do so much better.

  
Still to hear Victor say so was unexpected.

  
“It’s not.” He said quietly, unsure if he should be saying this to Victor Nikiforov of all people. He looked up, suddenly even more conscious of the height difference, which was only hurt by the fact that the rink was slightly sunk below the stands. It gave the taller skater a good extra two feet on him. Still, if he was going to say this at all, he wasn’t going to be shy about it.

  
He looked Victor straight in the eyes, then boldly continued, “It’s not on longing. It’s on ambition.”

  
“Ambition?” Victor tilted his head quizzically, his bright blue eyes warm.

  
“Yes.” Yuuri nodded slightly, not breaking eye contact with Victor. “I don’t have the most consistent record as a skater. But this year, I was determined to succeed. I wasn’t going to let my weaknesses affect my performance. This year, I was going to make it all the way, and win.” He broke himself off. “Celestino didn’t think a program on ambition would look good, so we changed it to longing.”

  
Yuuri finally looked down, certain that he had said too much. At least he stopped before saying anything about wanting to skate on the same ice as Victor.

  
“So it is on love after all,” Victor said seriously.

  
Yuuri looked back up, incredulous at this response. How did Victor get that from what he said? Victor was smiling at him again, but it was a smaller smile that the wide grin of earlier.

  
“The love of the ice,” Victor continued. “I certainly understand that.” He leaned further over the railing. “That should be glorious. So why was it so sad at the Final?”

  
That was not something that Yuuri felt able to answer. He looked away, feeling his face heat up in a blush. “Your short program was very joyful itself. It was exquisite.”

  
Victor let him change the subject. “Thanks! I’m not sure if I’m happy with it though. I’m thinking about changing it."

  
“In mid-season?” Yuuri said, surprised. Not that you can’t change a program anytime you wanted, but usually it was because it just wasn’t working for you. You had to be insane to change a gold medal winning program on a whim. Insane or Victor Nikiforov. Any program that he skated would doubtless end up being a gold medal winning one.

  
Celestino fake-coughed behind Yuuri, breaking his concentration. “The third skater just finished up. He’s just waiting for his scores. You’re up next.” He looked very amused. Yuuri realized that he must have been listening to them talk from where he was standing.

  
“Right.” Yuuri was off balance again. It was hard to believe that he had just had an actual conversation with Victor. He looked back at him.

  
“I’ll have to let you go then,” Victor said. He reached down towards Yuuri. Yuuri awkwardly reached up, expecting a handshake or something similar.

  
Instead, Victor leaned almost over the rail and kissed the back of his hand. 

  
“Davai, Yuuri. I expect to see something glorious and lovely out there.” He released Yuuri’s hand. Yuuri just stood there, frozen, his hand still reaching up towards Victor.

  
“Yuuri,” Celestino said firmly. He grabbed Yuuri’s shoulders and spun him around towards the ice. “Thanks for the encouragement, Nikiforov.”

  
Yuuri began to take his jacket and skate guards off in a daze. “Did that really just happen?” He asked plaintively.

  
“Yes, I saw it too. We’ll talk about it when you’re done.” Celestino said. “For now just put it out of your mind.” He sighed. “Do your best out there, don’t worry about the other competitors, or Victor Nikiforov. Definitely don’t think about the last time you skated this program in competition.”

  
“Right,” Yuuri said shakily.

  
“You’ll do fine.” Celestino said, then gently pushed him out onto the ice.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yuuri preforms his short program, and has the most shocking interview of his life.

Yuuri skated out onto the ice. There was no chance that he could do as Celestino suggested and ignore Victor Nikiforov and his increasingly strange behavior.

  
But maybe he didn’t have to.

  
He shook out his shoulders and spun in a loose circle before taking his starting position. He glanced at the blur of the audience. It was so strange that only an hour ago, they were what he was worrying about. Now, the knowledge that Victor was watching beat all other concerns.

  
Victor just called this program glorious. Now, Yuuri just needed to make it worth the title for him.

  
The music started and Yuuri began to move. This program stated out slow, before building up to a crescendo at the end. It started out deceptively simple, and Yuuri began his program, building up speed for his first jump.

  
He couldn’t help but think that this was a second chance. He had dreamed for so long about being on the same ice as Victor, of his idol seeing his skating and approving of him. Of Victor seeing in Yuuri’s own skating even a part of the inspiration that Victor had sparked in him. Even though he hadn’t been impressed with his showing at the Final two weeks ago, Victor was here now. This was Yuuri’s chance.

  
He jumped and landed his first quad, then immediately launched into the triple for the combination. He landed it perfectly, skating backwards easily. He exalted inwardly, thinking that that was something for Victor to see.

  
Victor was watching. His stomach dropped as he realized. For all that he had been worried earlier that the rest of the audience would judge him, that feeling paled before the knowledge that Victor was watching. It’s too late to worry about that right now, Yuuri told himself.

  
He threw himself forward into a triple axel, and knew even before he was fully in the air that he was not going to land it clean. He tried to regain his balance and almost made it. He pitched forward as he landed, hitting his hand down hard on the ice, but managing by the skin of his teeth to keep from falling.

  
He recovered, but couldn’t help but think of it as a sign. Not even for Victor could he skate a clean program. The music began to quicken as he went into his first spin. At least it wasn’t as bad as during the Final, where he had fallen outright. As he changed feet he began to rally.

  
He left the camel spin for some transition steps. He could still show Victor something glorious. His spins and steps were his best features. Everyone agreed on that. His steps could make up for that mistake.

  
He hit the flying sit spin perfectly, the short windmill jump dropping effortlessly into a close, fast spin. The music’s tempo really began to pick up here, and Yuuri moved with it, leaving the spin for a complicated, quick step sequence.

  
He moved across the ice, his feet flashing in quick patterns. If this was a program on longing, like he had told the world, this would symbolize desperation as the object of his desire moved without him. If it was ambition, like he had told Victor, then this was the hard work that he put into his skating to reach the highest levels.

  
Without a pause, he jumped a triple lutz, then continued immediately back into steps. That jump, went well at least, Yuuri thought, before returning all his attention back to his steps. At this tempo it took all his concentration not to let the music out run him.

  
As the music began to be quicker than even Yuuri could keep up with, he spun into his last spin, the combination. The music continued to build frantically as he changed position, gaining speed. He spun faster with it, starting from a slower camel before grabbing his foot and sinking into a donut sit spin. Then a hop, changing his feet, before a quicker catch-foot layback. He spun even faster as he returned to an upright position as the music hit its final crescendo.

  
He finished the spin reaching out to the light in his ending pose, breathing heavily. His first thought was that that was glorious and triumphant, just like Victor had asked for.

  
Then everything came back to him and he dropped his arms. He could have done better. This was his chance to let Victor see how he could skate, to make an impression on his hero, and that just wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t clean. Even if he didn’t fall, he touched down on the triple axel.

  
It wasn’t enough.

  
People were throwing gifts and flowers onto the ice, as if he deserved them. A blue blur flew by. That was even worse than the others. They should only be given to people who were amazing, like Victor and his signature blue roses.

  
Wait. Yuuri skated around to scoop up the blurry blue bouquet. It was made up of a dozen bright blue roses, just like the ones that Victor was known for. Was it from Victor?

  
Yuuri clutched the stems tightly, before loosening his hands. They had been de-thorned. Yuuri looked into the blur that was the section of the audience that Victor was in. It couldn’t be from him. Why would he give something like this to someone like Yuuri?

  
He headed over towards the Kiss & Cry to meet Celestino and wait for his scores. He met Celestino as he went over to the bench below the score boards and practically collapsed onto it, still holding the roses.

  
His coach handed him a much needed bottle of water, which Yuuri gratefully drank.

  
“That was excellent. If I had known that having someone flirt with you before your performances would get that kind of work out of you I would have bought one of your fans along to all your competitions.” Celestino said.

  
Yuuri spat some water out, coughing. “I wasn’t—Victor wasn’t—It’s not—” He managed.

  
Celestino gave him another skeptical look. “I think I know what flirting looks like. I would be more worried, but since it brought out a performance like that I’m all for it.”

  
“It’s not like that,” Yuuri protested. “It’s Victor Nikiforov.”

  
“Victor Nikiforov who threw you a bouquet of blue roses.”

  
Yuuri clenched the flowers tighter. “So they were from him.” The skating attendants were piling other flowers and gifts onto the bench beside him, but they all paled before this one. He was never going to let them go. Or wait, he would have to preserve them somehow, so in fifty years he could bring them out and remember the time that Victor Nikiforov gave him roses.

  
Celestino was grinning at the look on his face. He gave Yuuri his glasses back, saying, “You’ll need these to see the scores.” He put them back on, where they fogged up from the heat on his face.

  
“You did very well though. There is no chance that you will be cut before the free skate.” Yuuri could read between the lines there. Celestino was surprised that he did so well. Although Yuuri was somewhat insulted that he thought that Yuuri might be one of the bottom eight skaters even on a bad day. Even during the Final his score had been in the eighties. “It’s good that you are shaking off what happened.”

  
“I put my hand down on the triple axel,” Yuuri replied. The triple axel was one of his best jumps.

  
“And other than that it was clean program. It wasn’t even a fall. All in all it was an excellent run, I couldn’t ask for better.” Celestino didn’t seem to understand what was frustrating Yuuri.

  
The crowd started cheering loudly. Yuuri tried to read the scores with his foggy glasses, even pushing them up to try to read them without them. Celestino was clapping as well, pulling him into a half hug. “Eighty-seven point twenty three. Excellent Yuuri,” he told him. “With a score like that I wouldn’t be surprised if you were in the top three going into the free skate. I will definitely be surprised if you are anywhere lower that the top six.”

  
Yuuri smiled at the camera, then ducked his head. He supposed that he didn’t embarrass himself too badly in front of Victor.

  
Celestino clapped him on the back. “Good work. Go cool off and change and watch the rest from the stands. I’ll tell Victor to expect you in a few minutes.” Yuuri spluttered denials, which Celestino just ignored. “I’ll take your flowers, have them delivered to your hotel room with the rest of them.”

  
Yuuri reluctantly gave the bouquet up. “I’ll make sure they are careful with them,” Celestino teased.

  
Yuuri was sure that he had never changed out of a costume quicker. The knowledge that Victor was there, that in a moment he would speak to him, see what he thought about his skating was overwhelming. What could he say to him? What if he hated his performance? Worse, what if he, like Celestino, didn’t seem to think that he could do any better?

  
His steps slowed as he approached the stands, with trepidation as well as physical exhaustion. But the world wasn’t going to let him put it off by even a few seconds, because Victor had apparently left the stands to come meet him.

  
“That was amazing!” No sooner had he caught sight of Victor at the side of the stands than the Russian skater had caught him up in a bear hug. Yuuri couldn’t help but sink into the hug. “The steps were flawless, they kept perfect time, and those spins!” Victor babbled in his ear.

  
“It could have been a bit better, though.” Victor loosened his arms around Yuuri so that he could look down at him. “When you skate that at Worlds, I expect it to be perfectly clean, do you understand.”

  
Yuuri laughed in relief, and took the liberty to hug him back, grateful that Victor, at least, understood how he felt. “I’m glad you’re here.” As soon as he said it he stiffened, panicking. That was such a strange thing to say.

  
Victor didn’t seem to notice, fortunately. “I’m glad I’m here. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss that.” He looked down at Yuuri fondly.

  
Yuuri still wasn’t sure what was happening, but it was giving him moments that he would cherish for the rest of his life. Here he was, hugging Victor, while he said things like that, things that could so easily be taken as romantic.

He could have stood there being hugged by Victor forever, but before he was done Victor let him go. He put his arm out over Yuuri’s shoulders and started leading him into the stands. “I don’t think that anyone in this competition is going to top that.”

  
He led them over to a pair of empty seats. Yuuri couldn’t help but wonder who else Victor had charmed while he was here. They sat, and Victor put his right arm back around Yuuri immediately. It was strange, to be so surrounded by someone else.

  
“It wasn’t that good,” Yuuri protested. “My axel was terrible.” He rubbed the palm of his right hand. It was just starting to hurt, a bruise beginning to show in pale purple on the heel of his palm.

  
Victor caught it with his left hand, rubbing his thumb over the bruise. “Doesn’t matter. I’ve seen a lot of programs in my time, and that one was very memorable. Everyone falls sometimes.” He moved their clasped hands between them but made no move to let go.

  
“You don’t,” Yuuri pointed out. I am holding hands with Victor Nikiforov, he thought. If this is a dream, I never want to wake up.

  
“You don’t know how many times I’ve fallen when I was practicing the quad flip,” Victor said airily. “Yakov wanted to kill me, or at least ban me from the ice.”

  
“I bet he’s happy with it now though,” Yuuri said.

  
Victor grinned at him and continued the conversation, talking about all the times that Yakov wished him dead. It was an easy conversation. Yuuri marveled at it. He had never imagined that he could be having a conversation like this with Victor Nikiforov, of all people. Not in real life, at least.

  
But not even Victor could distract him from his worries. He watched the other skaters as their scores came up. Each one was someone who could score better than he did. Skater number sixteen knocked him out of first place by a point, and after that Yuuri just got more and more nervous.

  
Victor eventually noticed that he was tensing up. “What’s wrong?” he asked concernedly.

  
“It’s nothing,” Yuuri was quick to reply. Victor didn’t look convinced, so he added, “I just hate going near the beginning.”

  
Victor looked relieved. Yuuri couldn’t help but wonder what he thought Yuuri was going to say.

  
“I always like going near the beginning of the program.” Victor said, “It doesn’t happen often, but it’s nice to get everything done with quickly.”

  
“It’s the opposite for me,” Yuuri confessed. “When you go first, you have to wait for all the skaters going after you before you know the final standings. And there is nothing you can do to change your standings, no matter what happens, because you have already skated.”

  
“But if you’re done first, you can cheer on the other skaters.” Victor fit word to deed, cheering on the current skater as he finished.

  
“Maybe if you are so sure that you’re going to win by a mile,” Yuuri retorted.

  
Victor laughed and hugged him again. Yuuri was sure that he had never been hugged so much in his life, but there was no way that he was going to tell Victor to stop.

  
“What did you think was bothering me?” He asked, curious.

  
“I thought that you might think that I was talking too much.” Victor looked sheepish. “Everyone I asked agreed that you shouldn’t talk about yourself to much.”

  
Yuuri had to wonder what the question was, if that was the answer. “I like hearing about you though,” he said, then panicked again. That was a weird thing to say, now Victor will know that you are an embarrassingly devout fan, and he will let go, and leave, and tell the internet that you are creepy, and—

  
Victor interrupted his thoughts, “They are still right. Tell me about you!” At least Victor still didn’t think he was creepy.

  
“About me,” Yuuri repeated, getting his thoughts back online.

  
“Yes! Tell me everything. Do you have a big family? Any siblings? What’s your hometown like? Your family owns a hot spring, right? What is that like?” Victor fired his questions rapidfire. He had a look on his face like he was dying to know the answer to every single one of his questions.

  
Yuuri fell back into their conversation on this new topic, and before he knew it the last skaters were finishing up. He and Victor had cheered on all of Yuuri’s rivals, talking the entire time. All in all, it was easily the most fun that Yuuri had ever had watching a competition.

  
After it was over, they headed out of the stands. Celestino met them near the exit, holding Yuuri’s case with his costume and skates.

  
“Sorry,” Yuuri apologized. “I didn’t mean to leave you with my things, let me take them from you.”

  
Celestino waved him away. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll take it back to your hotel room for you.” He smiled at Yuuri. “What did I tell you? Third place after the short program. You’re back on track. If you have another performance like today’s tomorrow you will medal easily.”

  
Yuuri nodded at him. If only it was that easy.

  
“Take the rest of the day off,” Celestino continued. “Relax. Go sightseeing. Don’t do anything stressful or physically taxing. Don’t eat any big or unhealthy meals. Keep off your feet. Get a good nights sleep, and I will see you in the morning before the free skate.”

  
Yuuri nodded along. It was a familiar list. Normally he would just go back to his room and talk to Phichit, or stay here to catch the women’s performances in the evening, but with Victor here that didn’t have its usual draw. Yuuri wondered if Victor would let him come with him wherever he was planning to go.

  
Celestino must have noticed that he wasn’t paying attention, because he was glaring at him. “Do you hear me? Nothing strenuous.” He transferred his glare to Victor. Yuuri wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like Victor was one of Celestino’s skaters.

  
“Don’t worry, Ciao Ciao!” Victor said. “I know the rules.” He waved cheerily at Celestino as he led Yuuri away, his hand on the small of his back. Yuuri couldn’t look his coach in the eyes. While he had told Victor the nickname that Phichit used for their coach, he hadn’t expected the other skater to actually use it.

  
They had almost left the building, and Yuuri was trying to figure out how to ask what Victor’s plans were without seeming obsessed and pushy, when they were stopped.

  
“A quick word, please.” One of the reporters hurried over as they were starting to leave the lobby. It was Morooka, the reporter who had cornered him after the Grand Prix.

  
“Of course.” Yuuri ducked his head. Please don’t ask about the Grand Prix Finals or retirement, or anything personal, he chanted in his head. Not even Victor’s presence could help if the reporter decided to talk about the right, or rather the wrong, topics. And don’t ask what Victor is doing here, because I don’t know.

  
Victor moved away, waving, as the cameraman moved in closer. Morooka readied his mic and began.

  
“You placed third after the short program here today. How do you, one of our country’s top figure skaters, feel about you performance and placement?” Morooka held the microphone out for him.

  
“I feel that my performance was good, but my jumps could have been better. I deserved my placement, and can’t help but admire the other skaters. Especially Kenjiro Minami. He did very well, especially for a skater in his debut year,” Yuuri said. He felt very awkward speaking to Morooka and the camera at the same time, extremely self-conscious of what he was saying.

  
“I’ll be sure to tell him you said that. I’ve heard that he is a fan of yours.” Morooka laughed, and Yuuri laughed awkwardly with him. “You are within two points of the top going into the free skate. Do you have any concerns about your performance tomorrow?”

  
“It’s hard to make any judgements beforehand. I will be skating my best, and I am sure that everyone else competing will do the same.”

  
“Do you feel that you are recovered from the events of the Grand Prix Final?” Morooka asked. Close but not the question that Yuuri was dreading. Maybe he would be satisfied with this one.

  
Yuuri responded, “It’s important to move forward after setbacks. My performance at the Final was disappointing, to myself as well as to my fans. I hope in the future to be a better competitor, for everyone who supports me as well as myself.”

  
“While we are on the subject, your performance at the Grand Prix Final was not at the level that we have come to expect out of you. Was there any reason for you substandard performance?” There it was, the question that Yuuri had been dreading.

  
“There were several factors. The pressure of such a large competition affected me, and I had some personal problems at home as well. Still, I hope to get back on track and give a good showing at Worlds this year.” He said it exactly like Celestino had told him to, hoping that that would be the end of things.

  
“We also can’t help but notice that you have a guest with you today. A well known guest. Can you give us any information on why five-time consecutive gold medalist Victor Nikiforov is visiting our domestic competition?” It was the other question that Yuuri had been dreading, and this one he didn’t have a script prepared for. He glanced over at Victor, panicking. Victor frowned at him, then walked over. Victor put his arm back over Yuuri’s shoulders.

  
Morooka took the interruption is stride, switching over into English. “Here we have figure skating legend Victor Nikiforov. What brings you to this competition?”

  
“I’m here to support Yuuri, of course.” Victor said breezily.

  
“Katsuki Yuuri?” Morooka verified. “What is your connection with Japanese figure skater Katsuki Yuuri?” Exactly what Yuuri wanted to know.

  
“We met at the Grand Prix, of course.” Victor nodded. Yuuri nodded along. They had met there, he supposed. For a certain value of met. “We hit it off, and now we’re dating.”

  
Yuuri stopped nodding. In fact he stopped moving.

  
Victor continued, “I’m just here to be supportive of my new boyfriend.”

  
Victor was grinning again. So was Morooka, who looked like he just received the scoop of his life. Yuuri smiled glassily, his mind going a mile a minute.

  
Wait. Victor’s boyfriend?!

  
What?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yuuri recovers somewhat from the shock in the previous chapter, and there are several outside reactions from friends and family.

Yuuri barely managed to keep a smile on his face as Morooka finished up the interview. He desperately hoped that this wouldn’t become a popular video clip, but he already knew that his hopes were in vain. Not only did it contain a figure skating legend, that legend was also saying that he was dating someone. It would be all over the internet within an hour.

  
They walked away from the interview, Victor smiling and waving like he had just won another gold medal. Yuuri managed a weak wave or two of his own, but couldn’t do much more than that. He was glad that Victor was still holding him, because he didn’t think he could have managed on his own.

  
“Are you all right?” Victor hissed out of the side of his mouth at him. Yuuri didn’t respond. He was too busy trying not to hyperventilate. His eyes flicked across the crowded atrium. There were way too many people here. He was going to have a panic attack with everyone watching, and the way that his day was going, someone would record it and upload it to the internet.

  
“Breathe,” Victor said quietly.

  
Victor changed direction, heading back the way that they came. Before Yuuri knew it, he had ushered them into one of the small, deserted, changing rooms. He sat Yuuri down and started hovering, apparently unsure about what to do now.

  
“I’ll be ok.” Yuuri managed to get out. “Just give me a minute.”

  
“Of course.” Victor looked awkward, but calmed down a little. Yuuri returned to focusing on his breathing and his racing thoughts.

  
He supposed that this made Victor’s behavior today make a lot more sense. If he thought that they were dating, then it only made sense for him to be here, and throw roses, and hug him and be there…

  
But why did he think that they were dating? Yuuri had never even managed to string two words together in his presence. Their last interaction was morale shattering, proving that Victor didn’t see him as being any different from any of his other fans.

  
And he wasn’t any different. Sure, he was a fellow ice skater, but Victor was at a completely different level than he was. There was no reason for him to single him out, much less announce to the entire world that they were dating.

  
Victor said it so proudly, too. He said it like he couldn’t imagine how he had been so lucky to be dating him, Katsuki Yuuri.

  
This had to be some kind of mistake. Yuuri couldn’t imagine what that mistake might be, but it had to exist. He would think that this was just some sort of vivid and surreal dream, but the fact that he was having an outright panic attack seemed to invalidate that idea. If this was a dream, then Dream!Victor would have whisked him away to make love to him after he won the Olympics.

  
No, Yuuri thought with only a little regret as he looked at Victor, who still looked worried. Not a dream.

  
It didn’t seem to be some sort of trick, either. Victor seemed to be completely serious about this. Declaring your intentions on national television was a little far to go for a joke.

  
Yuuri couldn’t imagine any set of circumstances that would lead to Victor Nikiforov declaring that he was his boyfriend in front of the entire world. None. But that was what had just happened.

  
So apparently alternative reality Victor Nikiforov had mistaken him for his boyfriend. What the Hell.

  
Yuuri only barely managed to keep from breaking into hysterical laughter.

  
He wished that he could go skating to sort out what he was thinking, but with the free skate tomorrow Celestino would kill him.

  
Finally he got himself back under control.

  
“Sorry about that,” he told Victor as he got up.

  
“No, no, it’s nothing,” Victor assured him.

  
“No, it’s not.” Yuuri replied. “I wish that you didn’t see me that way.”

  
“No, it’s ok,” Victor said. He caught Yuuri’s hands again. “I’m honored that you would let me be with you when you were feeling so vulnerable.”

  
“It was the interview, wasn’t it?” Victor continued. “You weren’t expecting me to tell everyone on live television, were you?”

  
Yuuri gazed at him helplessly. Yes, that was true, but it was also the least of it. Yuuri wasn’t sure how he was going to begin to set Victor straight.

  
“No, I definitely wasn’t.” Yuuri finally said. “It surprised me. And with everything else that happened today, I just…” He trailed off. He started over. “Competitions always make me nevous, and anxious, and that makes everything affect me more, and then…” He trailed off again.

  
“You weren’t looking that good during that interview either.” Victor flashed him a quick smile. “That’s why I stepped in. I guess I should have let you handle it?”

  
“Yeah. That would have been good.” Yuuri felt shaky, but clear as glass, calm as he normally was after having a panic attack.

  
He still wasn’t thinking clearly though, which was what why he stepped forwards on his toes and quickly kissed Victor.

  
It was short, but as soon as he did it Yuuri was horrified at himself. He had no idea what he was thinking.

  
Victor just hugged him again, tighter than before. He murmured, “Sorry,” in Yuuri’s ear.

  
That’s right, Yuuri thought. For whatever reason, Victor thinks that we are dating. He won’t mind me kissing him. He won’t think that it’s weird.

  
They left the changing room to leave the building again. This time they weren’t stopped. There was a much smaller crowd outside, most people having left during the long intermission. Soon enough they were outside in the late afternoon sun.

  
“So, we are free for the evening,” Victor said, his voice picking up cheerfulness as he spoke. They started to walk down the main thoroughfare away from the stadium. “Did you have any plans?”

  
Yuuri shook his head. “No, not really.”

  
“Is there any place that you wanted to see, or go to—” Victor was interrupted by his phone ringing. He took it out of his pocket looked at the caller id, and answered it.

  
“Hey, Mila!” Victor said. Yuuri heard a torrent of Russian as Victor put the phone on speaker phone. “Say hello to Yuuri, you’re on speaker.”

  
The Russian stopped, to be replaced with accented English. “Hello Yuuri, you are still with this idiot after he pulled that stunt?”

  
“Ah, hello,” Yuuri said.

  
“Victor, what were you thinking? You’ve been on interviews for over twenty years! You know better.” Apparently the random Russian woman was taking his side in a this matter. She must be Mila Babicheva, Victor’s rink mate.

  
“That is like the last way that you tell the world you are with some one!” she continued.

  
“It was so romantic!” a male voice came over the phone.

  
“Shut up Georgi—,” the woman’s voice returned. “And its definitely way too soon. You’ve only been dating for a few weeks, and I don’t think that you’ve talked in that time, so you are basically on your second date. What if it doesn’t work out? You will both have to deal with people asking you about it for the rest of your lives.”

  
“Of course it’s going to work,” Victor protested.

  
“You don’t know that!”

  
Mila continued along the same lines. Yuuri couldn’t help but get even more confused. That was two, or maybe three if you counted Georgi, Russian skaters who thought that he was dating Victor.

  
The voice on the other end of the phone abruptly stopped midsentence. The bright woman’s voice was replaced by a loud, gruff man’s voice.

  
“Ah, Yakov,” Victor winced. He turned the phone’s speaker off, making the voice much quieter.

  
Victor was speaking on his phone in rapid Russian. Yuuri wasn’t that familiar with the language, but it sounded like he was being interrupted before he could finish a thought. He flashed Yuuri a smile, and gestured vaguely at a nearby bench, heading over towards it himself. Yuuri supposed that he was telling him that the conversation was going to take a while.

  
Yuuri took a deep breath and sat down next to Victor. Yuuri took his own out of his pocket, and checked it for messages. Celestino made him turn it off before competitions after he noticed that Yuuri tended to look up skating newssites and reviews and worry himself into a panic. With Victor there he had completely forgotten about turning it back on.

  
There were a lot. Most of them came from Phichit, Yuuko, and Mari. He supposed that it was only to be expected.

  
He started with Yuuko’s.

  
IcecastlePrincess: Good luck, Yuuri! This will be another nationals win for you for sure!

  
IcecastlePrincess: We’re all cheering you here!

  
IcecastlePrincess: The triplets even made you a banner, see? [image] They’re so cute!

  
IcecastlePrincess: VICTOR!!!!

  
IcecastlePrincess: YUURI, VICTOR NIKIFOROV is there!

  
IcecastlePrincess: Yuuri, you NEED to get me an autograph! You said that you didn’t get one at the Grand Prix, so I need you to get one now.

  
IcecastlePrincess: I knew that I should have come in person. Its only three hours away, I could have made Takashi take care of the girls for a couple of days.

  
IcecastlePrincess: VICTOR NIKIFOROV

  
IcecastlePrincess: You are talking to VICTOR NIKIFOROV! How are you talking to Victor Nikiforov!?

  
IcecastlePrincess: Your program was really good, too!

  
IcecastlePrincess: He threw you roses! BLUE ROSES, YUURI!

  
IcecastlePrincess: 87.23 is a really good score.

  
IcecastlePrincess: Congratulations!

  
IcecastlePrincess: I still can’t believe that you are sitting next to Victor Nikiforov!

  
IcecastlePrincess: Are you holding hands?!

  
IcecastlePrincess: ASHFRBAEUHSF!

  
IcecastlePrincess: DATING!?

  
Yuuri looked for more, but that was apparently all that she had sent. He looked for a moment, but realized that he had no idea what he could possibly say to her. So he ignored them, switching over to Mari’s messages.

  
onsenrebel: every time you’re competing you send the whole place into chaos, y’know?

  
onsenrebel: it seems like the whole town is here

  
onsenrebel: minako is already drunk

  
onsenrebel: those annoying triplets are underfoot i swear that i tripped over one of them twice

  
onsenrebel: at least its good for business

  
onsenrebel: mom says to wish you luck

  
onsenrebel: are you sure youre not going to stop by? mom would really appreciate seeing you

  
onsenrebel: its not like you have anyone waiting for you in Detroit that you have to hurry back to

  
onsenrebel: yuuko has gone insane

  
onsenrebel: shes jumping up and down and pointing at the screen and repeating victor over and over

  
onsenrebel: its like you never left

onsenrebel: whats he doing there anyway?

onsenrebel: the camera keeps swinging back to him between introducing the skaters

onsenrebel: go yuuri! you actually talked to him

onsenrebel: good thing that were recording this

onsenrebel: we have proof

onsenrebel: that you actually looked him in the eyes and opened your mouth to say something

onsenrebel: this is a really long conversation

onsenrebel: you started skating

onsenrebel: you do know that what you are wearing looks ridiculous?

onsenrebel: yuuko and minako say you did well

onsenrebel: so

onsenrebel: congradulations

onsenrebel: wow, you and victor are looking really close up there

onsenrebel: i guess you didnt scare him by mentioning your poster collection

onsenrebel: or the recordings of all his competitions

onsenrebel: or the victor scrapbook

oncenrebel: or vicchan

onsenrebel: you should know that minako has completely given up on the other skaters

onsenrebel: she keeps telling the tv to go back to you two in the stands

onsenrebel: its not like you can hear what you are saying

onsenrebel: she is now yelling at the tv for you to kiss him

onsenrebel: you really should

onsenrebel: you will never get this chance again

onsenrebel: youve dreamt of this since before you even knew what kissing was

onsenrebel: gambatte yuuri

onsenrebel: i think that you broke yuuko

onsenrebel: she keeps repeating your and victors names and hyperventilating

onsenrebel: ok first day done

onsenrebel: interview time

onsenrebel: you really need to explain this entire thing to yuuko

onsenrebel: i suggest getting her an autograph

onsenrebel: you look like you are this close to running away

onsenrebel: why do interviews freak you out? they always ask the same questions

onsenrebel: well that question is new

onsenrebel: …

onsenrebel: WOW

onsenrebel: i cant believe that interview

onsenrebel: you killed yuuko

onsenrebel: seriously she fainted

onsenrebel: did you start dating someone without telling me?

onsenrebel: did you start dating someone without telling mom?

onsenrebel: mom wants to know when you are bringing him over and what his favorite food is

onsenrebel: i cant believe that you started dating without telling me

onsenrebel: i wouldn’t have teased you

onsenrebel: much

onsenrebel: isn’t he a bit out of your league?

Yuuri stared at his phone. He forgot about the onsen viewing party. Of course everyone saw. Everyone saw that interview. Now he had to figure out what to tell everyone one at home. He had no idea how he could possibly explain this. He ignored Mari too.

phichit+chu: and the Japanese Nationals are about to begin

phichit+chu: this will be a sure victory for our very own Yuuri.

phichit+chu: seriously though, why are you on the other side of the world?

phichit+chu: I have a test tomorrow, and you are skating in the middle of the night

phichit+chu: so without you or Celestino around I am just going to pull an all-nighter

phichit+chu: I am such a rebel

phichit+chu: Yuuri, you know how I social media stalk you and you hate it?

phichit+chu: someone just posted a picture of you being pulled through a crowd by Victor Nikiforov

phichit+chu: Google Translate says that its at the nationals.

phichit+chu: are you alright? what is happening?

phichit+chu: I don’t know why I am bothering to ask you, you are terrible with phones and messages.

phichit+chu: I should call Celestino

phichit+chu: but then he will know that im awake at this time of the night

phichit+chu: another Victor sighting!

phichit+chu: twitter, selfie of a Japanese woman and Victor, shes got a signed banner

phichit+chu: its one of your banners. Just think Yuuri, Victor signed one of your banners

phichit+chu: I wish I could read Japanese

phichit+chu: Google Translate to the rescue

phichit+chu: Just switched my seat with a handsome foreigner! We have something in common, we’re both big fans of #KatsukiYuuri

phichit+chu: 0u0

phichit+chu: Victor is a fan of yours!

phichit+chu: oooh, you are already skating

phichit+chu: nice combo

phichit+chu: really nice spin at the end

phichit+chu: are those blue roses? Yuuri, where did you get blue roses, they’re like super rare!

phichit+chu: are they from Victor?

phichit+chu: they are from Victor, I cant believe this!

phichit+chu: I am never going to believe you when you say that you are too shy to talk to someone again.

phichit+chu: you should know that I am saving all of these pictures

phichit+chu: you look really really close

phichit+chu: when did you get so close?

phichit+chu: you two look like you are on a date

phichit+chu: yuuri, I just saw a video clip of Victor saying that the two of you were dating

That one had only been sent a few minutes ago. Yuuri wasn’t even surprised anymore at how quickly the news had begun to spread. He looked over at Victor. He was still on the phone with the gruff Russian voice, but his smile had faded. He looked like he was getting a head ache, and had completely given up on talking back.

Yuuri took a deep breath, drew up his courage, and slid over until he was sitting right next to Victor. He thinks that we are dating, he told himself. Its not weird to be close to him if he thinks that we are dating.

Victor definitely didn’t seem to think that it was weird, because he smiled at Yuuri and put his arm back around his shoulders. His gaze was distant, out towards the city.

Yuuri tilted his screen a bit, so that Victor wouldn’t be able to see it, and responded to Phichit.

Katsukidon: Help, Phicht, you’re my only hope

phichit+chu: Hey Yuuri! Do you know you have a hashtag?

phichit+chu: #Victuuri Its amazing, it even sounds like victory.

Katsukidon: You are my best friend, right? I tell you everything

phichit+chu: Yes, why?

phichit+chu: Has your new boyfriend claimed best friend privileges?

phichit+chu: Because if he has, I can kill him for you even if he is Victor Nikiforov and your boyfriend

Katsukidon: No, no killing boyfriends

Katsukidon: I mean Victor

Katsukidon: I mean

Katsukidon: I would have told you if I started dating someone, right?

phichit+chu: Not necessarily. You might have wanted to wait to see if it worked out, or you might have thought I wouldn’t approve (I do, by the way. Victor!? I didn’t know you had it in you), or considering that it is Victor nikiforov that we are talking about you might have thought it was a dream

phichit+chu: although now that you mention it, I would have expected you to be over the moon about it, even if the GPF didn’t go so well

Katsukidon: No, I never talked to him! He just showed up! With roses and hugs, and, and, KISSES!

phichit+chu: You kissed! What was it like?

Katsukidon: Phichit! I’m serious. I have no idea what is happening.

Katsukidon: Its like he really thinks that we are dating! And he is being even more romantic than even I dreamed he would be! But its all a mistake!

phichit+chu: Why is it a mistake?

Katsukidon: Because it has to be! Its Victor Nikiforov!

phichit+chu: and he seems to be really interested in dating you, Katsuki Yuuri

phichit+chu: This is your chance!

phichit+chu: besides, it doesn’t sound that weird. Maybe he was swept off his feet by you magnificent skating

Katsukidon: I was terrible in Sochi

phichit+chu: at a time other than the GPF. Maybe you two met online and he thinks that you know his virtual identity

Katsukidon: I don’t do internet dating

phichit+chu: True. Maybe he has an arranged marriage and is using you to get out of it

Katsukidon: Have you slept in the last twenty four hours?

phichit+chu: Nope! People are always running into each other and dating each other.

Katsukidon: In rom-coms!

Katsukidon: This is real life.

Yuuri glanced up at Victor. He still wasn’t looking at Yuuris phone, intent on his own conversation.

Katsukidon: What should I do? You are good with people, help!

phichit+chu: Wow. Thank you. Guru Phichit, to the rescue

phichit+chu: You basically have two choices

phichit+chu: One, you go along with it

Katsukidon: What!

phichit+chu: I’m serious! Kiss him, date him, marry him, never tell him that there is anything wrong

Katsukidon: I can’t go on with this delusion

Katsukidon: And I’m not going to marry him

phichit+chu: Dibs on best man

phichit+chu: or you can tell him the truth

Katsukidon: The truth?

phichit+chu: That you have no idea what is going on

phichit+chu: Communication is important in relationships

phichit+chu: I would go with that actually.

Katsukidon: That’s worse than the first option!

Katsukidon: Why isn’t your advice move to the end of the earth to avoid further embarrassment?

phichit+chu: Because then I would never see you again!

phichit+chu: Besides, you would need to move to the end of the earth that has ice rinks, so that means Siberia, which means Russia, which means Victor would track you down, and then you would live happily ever after

Katsukidon: I’m serious!

phichit+chu: So am I! You need to tell him Yuuri!

Katsukidon: I can’t I will die of embarrassment

phichit+chu: Have you never watched a romantic comedy in your life?

Phichit+chu: keeping secrets and having misunderstandings and miscommunications are the bane of every couple

Phichit+chu: it never works out right.

Katsukidon: I don’t think that real life works like movies Phichit

phichit+chu: yes it does

phichit+chu: and this way you can get to the part where you make up and decide that you are perfect for each other after all faster

Katsukidon: Phichit!

phichit+chu: Perfect for Each Other!

phichit+chu: I am going to talk about this in my best man speech

Katsukidon: There is not going to be a best man speech!

phichit+chu: Yes there will be. And I am going to be your best man

“Sorry about that.” Victor finally put his phone away. “Yakov is overreacting, as usual. I didn’t mean to neglect you for so long.”

“Ah, it’s fine. I checked up on some messages from home.” Yuuri put his phone away.

Phichit was right. He needed to tell Victor that he was wrong, that he had made some kind of mistake somewhere.

“Do you have a lot of congratulations from your family?” Victor asked. His eyes were soft and fond (and very close). They made Yuuri feel guilty.

He opened his mouth to ask what Victor though he was doing, to try to sort this mess out.

“Yeah, but they were more surprised with that interview. My mom wants to know what your favorite food is and when I’m planning to bring you home.” Yuuri said instead.

He just couldn’t manage to say anything with Victor looking at him like that.

“Whenever you want,” Victor said, and leaned down and kissed him.

Yuuri couldn’t help but feel that he was taking advantage of the situation.

Victor deepened the kiss. Yuuri gave up on thinking about anything else. All of his brain power instead going to memorizing this sensation.

He needed to tell him.

But how?


End file.
